The Broncos D-line from last season has almost completely turned over. (Steve Nehf, The Denver Post)

The defensive line. It’s about time the Broncos seriously addressed the Curse of Trevor Pryce. Yes, there is some age alongside the names of Jamal Williams (34), Justin Bannan (31) and Jarvis Green (31).

But there are also 12 combined playoff appearances from the trio — Green (six), Williams (four) and Bannan (two).

Since Mike Shanahan dumped Pryce after the 2005 season, the Broncos have gone a relatively respectable 32-32 despite having arguably the NFL’s worst collection of defensive fronts.

In 2009, after a sensational six-game start, the Broncos’ defense allowed 158.1 yards rushing in their last 10 games. How bad is 158.1 rushing yards allowed per game? Consider Tampa Bay ranked 32nd in the 32-team NFL by allowing 158.2 rushing yards a game.

In 2008, only 0-16 Detroit and 2-14 Kansas City gave up more than the 5.0 yards per carry surrendered by Denver’s D.

In 2007, the Broncos ranked 30th in the NFL by allowing 142.6 yards per game.

And after a record-setting, six-game start in 2006, the Broncos’ defense fell apart. Injuries to defensive linemen Gerard Warren and Courtney Brown, and the departure of Pryce _ arguably the most talented defensive lineman in Broncos history _ caused the Broncos to allow 26.1 points in their last 10 games. How bad is 26.1 points per game? San Francisco ranked 32nd in points allowed that year with 25.8 points.

Meanwhile, Pryce is going on his fifth season with the defensive-minded Baltimore Ravens. Letting him go was clearly one of the biggest mistakes of the Shanahan era. In Williams, Bannan and Green, the Broncos may finally have the kind of playoff-caliber defensive front to overcome the Trevor Curse.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.